Training apparatus and methods of making and using same

ABSTRACT

An adjustable, easy to use, improved training apparatus for helping an individual hit a ball more correctly and fundamentally sound by improving said individuals posture and hitting position through use of the training apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/720,217 filed Aug. 21, 2018.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to systems for use in sport training, and more particularly, not by way of limitation, to an improved training apparatus for helping an individual hit a ball more correctly and fundamentally sound by improving said individuals posture and hitting position.

Currently, there are a variety of devices that provide various concepts as how to provide training for improving performance of hitting an object in the fields of baseball, softball, golf, hockey, tennis, cricket, and other sports requiring control of and accuracy of a swing of the arms and proper position of the body to hit an object. However, many of these devices are complicated to use, highly priced, are hard to adapt to different users, or simply do not work. To this end, a need exists for an improved training apparatus that helps provide more productive and effective training to improve the swing of an individual to hit an object that is easy to use, easily adjustable based on level of training desired, and relatively inexpensive. It is to such a training apparatus that the present disclosure is directed.

Many baseball players struggle with hitting the ball simply due to bad mechanics in their swing. Some swings are too long and not in tune with the lower body or rest of the body. It is to this issue, that the present invention is directed. However, not just limited to baseball, but any sport requiring such skills.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a new and novel improved training apparatus that helps provide more productive and effective training to improve the swing of an individual to hit an object, such as a baseball, softball, golf ball, tennis ball or other sports requiring like skills requiring control of and accuracy of a swing of the arms and proper position of the body to hit an object.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a training apparatus that will help shorten and correct a batter's swing to produce a more fundamental swing to improve the success of hitting the ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a training apparatus constructed in accordance with the present disclosure attached to arms of a baseball player.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the training apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of each component of the training apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the components of the training apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an adjustment member attached to a tension member of the training apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the adjustment member of FIG. 2 attached to legs of a baseball player.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the training apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the components of the second embodiment of the training apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the adjustment member of FIG. 7 attached to legs of a baseball player.

DESCRIPTION

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the inventive concept disclosed herein in detail, it is to be understood that the inventive concept is not limited in its application to the details of construction, experiments, exemplary data, and/or the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description, or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting in any way.

In the following detailed description of embodiments of the inventive concept, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the inventive concept. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the inventive concept within the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure.

Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concept. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

Finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-6, shown therein is an exemplary embodiment of a training apparatus 10 constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein attached to limbs of an individual 11. For exemplary purposes, the training apparatus 10 will be discussed herein being used in relation to training a baseball player to better swing a bat so as to hit a baseball better or more consistently. However, it should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the training apparatus 10 may be utilized for the training of various athletes in any sport requiring control of and accuracy of a swing of the arms to hit an object, such as in softball, golf, hockey, tennis, cricket, and the like.

The training apparatus 10 includes a first attachment member 12, a second attachment member 14, and a plurality of rings 16(a-c). In one embodiment, the first attachment member 12 includes a first attachment strap 18 having opposite ends 20 and 22 and a first adjustment strap 24 having opposite ends 26 and 28. A connecting material 30 is secured to at least a portion of opposite sides of the first attachment strap 18 and of the first adjustment strap 24. The connecting material 30 being material for connecting one object to another, such as hook and eye fastener (Velcro), a zipper, snaps, magnets, plastic buckles, metal buckles, hooks and combinations thereof or the like.

The second attachment member 14 is similar to the first attachment member 12, in that the second attachment member 14 includes a second attachment strap 32 having opposite ends 34 and 36 and a second adjustment strap 38 having opposite ends 40 and 42. A connecting material 44 is secured to at least a portion of opposite sides of the second attachment strap 32 and of the second adjustment strap 38. The connecting material 44 being material for connecting one object to another, such as hook and eye fastener (Velcro), a zipper, snaps, magnets, plastic buckles, metal buckles, hooks and combinations thereof or the like.

The connecting materials 30 and 44 are positioned on the first attachment strap 18 and the second attachment strap 32, so when the straps 18 and 32 are extended about a portion of a limb, arm or leg, of an individual, the connecting materials 30 and 44 are pressed into contacting engagement to removably secure the first attachment strap 18 about a limb of an individual and the second attachment strap 32 about an opposite limb of the individual.

Additionally, the connecting materials 30 and 44 are positioned on the first adjustment strap 24 and the second adjustment strap 38, so when the first adjustment strap 24 is extended about a portion of the ring 16 a and when the second adjustment strap 38 is extended about a portion of the ring 16 c, the connecting materials 30 and 44 are pressed into contacting engagement to removably secure the first adjustment strap 24 about the ring 16 a and the second adjustment strap 38 about the ring 16 c such that the first attachment member 12 is removably connected to the ring 16 a and the second attachment member 14 is removably connected to the ring 16 c. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the adjustment straps 24 and 38 may be permanently attached to the attachment members 12 and 14, respectively, or one of the plurality of rings 16 so long as the adjustment straps 24 and 38 function in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The adjustments straps 24 and 38 may be removably secured to the various plurality of rings 16 a, 16 b, and/or 16 c to vary the length of the training apparatus 10 depending on the size of the individual and/or intended use of the training apparatus 10.

The plurality of rings 16 (16 a, 16 b and 16 c) are preferably made of elastomeric and/or resilient materials, such as neoprene, rubber, latex or other such elastomeric polymer which enables the ring 16 to return to its original shape once stretched or compressed by an individual during training. However, the materials are strong enough to allow for use of the ring 16, as disclosed herein. The ring 16 may be constructed from a variety of durable and resilient materials, such as for example, polymeric materials, plastics, thermoplastics, any elastomers, and composite materials which are capable of providing the desired strength and durability for the ring 16. Further, it should be understood that the ring 16 may be constructed from materials that may be water-resistant and/or waterproof so that the ring 16 may be easily cleaned. It is contemplated in one embodiment that one ring 16 may be utilized depending on the size of the individual and the size of the ring 16. Also, any number of rings 16 may be used in the training apparatus 10. The plurality of rings 16 are interlocking and interconnected. Additionally, the plurality of rings 16 may be utilized in any size, dimension and/or shape and or combinations thereof.

In use (FIG. 1), the first attachment member 12 of the training apparatus 10 is attached above an elbow of one arm 50 and the second attachment member 14 of the training apparatus 10 is attached above the opposite elbow of the opposite arm 52 of the individual batter 11. The batter 11 swings a bat 54. The position of the training apparatus 10 on the batter 11 helps in performing the operation of shortening and making more efficient and mechanically correct the swing of the bat (or other sports equipment such as a golf club, tennis racket, hockey stick, and the like) in relation to the upper portion of the individual's body movements.

In another use (FIG. 6), the first attachment member 12 of the training apparatus 10 is attached above a knee of a leg 56 of the batter and the second attachment member 14 of the training apparatus 10 is attached above the opposite knee of the opposite leg 58 of the batter. This helps perform the operation of shortening, making more efficient and mechanically correcting what the lower portion of the body (feet, knees and legs) does and how it performs best in the hitting process.

The training apparatus 10 can be adjusted as to its length to various locations depending on the size and physique of the batter so that the training apparatus 10 is tightly positioned about the batter's arms or legs so that the batter is in the proper hitting stance and allows for proper swing mechanics without inhibiting the batter. As the batter swings, the plurality of rings 16 provides the necessary tension so that the batter's swing is shortened and corrected to produce a more fundamental swing to improve the batter's hitting of the ball. The training apparatus 10 also produces and provides the batter with the “feel” or muscle memory with each repeatable swing.

It should be understood that changes may be made in the operation and the setup of the one embodiment.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, a second embodiment of the present invention is depicted showing a training apparatus 10 constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Once again, for exemplary purposes, the training apparatus 10 will be discussed herein being used in relation to training a baseball player to better swing a bat so as to better hit a baseball. However, it should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the training apparatus 10 may be utilized for the training of various athletes in any sport requiring control of and accuracy of a swing of the arms to hit an object, such as in softball, golf, hockey, tennis, cricket, and the like.

This second embodiment of the training apparatus 10′ differs slightly from the previously described embodiment in the way the apparatus connects to the plurality of rings. This second embodiment includes a first attachment member 12′, a second attachment member 14′, and a plurality of rings 16 a′, 16 b′, 16 c′. In this embodiment, the first attachment member 12′ includes a first attachment strap 18′ having opposite ends 20′ and 22′ and a first adjustment strap 24′ having opposite ends 26′ and 28′. A connecting material 30′ is secured to at least a portion of opposite sides of the first attachment strap 18′ and of the first adjustment strap 24′. The connecting material 30′ being material for connecting one object to another, such as hook and eye fastener (Velcro), a zipper, snaps, magnets, plastic buckles, metal buckles, hooks and combinations thereof or the like.

In the second embodiment, the connecting materials 30′ and 44′ are positioned on the first attachment strap 18′ and the second attachment strap 32′, so when the straps 18′ and 32′ are extended about a portion of a limb, arm or leg, of an individual, the connecting materials 30′ and 44′ are pressed into contacting engagement to removably secure the first attachment strap 18′ about a limb of an individual and the second attachment strap 32′ about an opposite limb of the individual.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the first adjustment strap 24′ and the second adjustment strap 38′ are adjusted by putting the respective ends 28′ and 42′ of said adjustment straps through a metal buckle 48. It is within the ambits of the present invention that another means to connect and adjust the adjustments straps other than a metal buckle may be used as long as it accomplishes the same purpose. The metal buckle 48 is secured to the attachment members by the ends 26′ and 40′ of the respective adjustment straps 24′ and 38′ being sewn into a loop 50 as depicted in the figures.

In the second embodiment, the plurality of rings 16 a′, 16 b′ and 16 c′, are connected to the training apparatus 10′ in an alternate way. In this second embodiment, ring 16 a′ is permanently affixed to the first attachment member 12′ in the same way the metal buckle 48 is secured. The end 22′ of the first attachment strap 18′ is sewn into a loop by sewing it into itself with the ring 16 a′ inside the loop, thereby connecting the loop 16 a′ permanently to the first attachment member 12′.

As it is depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8, in this second embodiment any of the plurality of rings 16 a′, 16 b′, 16 c′ can be removably connected to the second attachment member 14′ through the use of a carabiner clip 46 or other means of connection, which may be other forms of clips or anything that can removably connect to the a ring. Which ring is connected depends on the type of training and size of the individual. It should also be noted that it is within the ambits of this invention to use any number of rings depending on the training required. The carabiner clip 46 is connected to the second attachment member 14′ in the same way that the rings are attached to the first attachment member 12′ by the end 34′ of the second attachment strap 32′ being sewn into a loop as depicted in the drawings.

In the second embodiment, the connecting materials 30′ and 44′ are positioned on the first adjustment strap 24′ and second adjustment strap 38′, so when the adjustment straps 24′ and 38′ are extended through the metal buckle 48, this will adjust the size of the first attachment member 12′ and the second attachment member 14′, such size being determined by the size of the individuals legs, arms, or other areas of the body in which the training apparatus 10′ is being attached.

The second embodiment can be used in the exact same ways the previous embodiment was described and depicted in FIGS. 1 and 6, and as is shown in FIG. 9.

Attached hereto are various other views illustrating one embodiment of the present invention and the operation of one embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be understood that changes may be made in the operation and the setup of such embodiment. The attached materials are incorporated herein by reference.

It should also be appreciated that it is within the ambit of this invention to use the training apparatus 10 for any other sport requiring control of and accuracy of a swing of the arms and proper control of the body to hit an object such as baseball, softball, golf, hockey, tennis, cricket, and the like.

From the above description, it is clear that the inventive concept(s) disclosed herein is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the inventive concept disclosed herein. While exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept disclosed herein have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished without departing from the scope of the inventive concept disclosed herein and defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A training apparatus for helping an individual hit a ball more correctly and fundamentally sound by improving said individuals posture and hitting position, comprising: at least one ring; a first attachment member removably connected to the at least one ring and a limb of an individual; and a second attachment member removably connected to the at least one ring and an opposite limb of the individual.
 2. A training apparatus for helping an individual hit a ball more correctly and fundamentally sound by improving said individuals posture and hitting position, comprising: a plurality of rings; a first attachment member permanently connected to at least one of the plurality of rings and a limb of an individual; and a second attachment member removably connected to at least one of the plurality of rings and an opposite limb of an individual;
 3. The training apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of rings are made of an elastomeric and/or resilient material.
 4. The training apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and second attachment members further comprise corresponding adjustment straps capable of being adjusted to fit the limb of an individual.
 5. The training apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first and second attachment members further comprise corresponding attachment straps capable of being adjusted to fit the limb of an individual.
 6. The training apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first attachment member is permanently connected to at least one of the plurality of rings via the use of a loop being sewn into itself.
 7. The training apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second attachment member is removably connected to at least one of the plurality of rings via the use of a carabiner.
 8. The training apparatus of claim 5, wherein the corresponding adjustment and attachment straps are further comprised of a connecting material to secure the adjustment and attachment straps in the desired place.
 9. The training apparatus of claim 8, wherein said connecting material comprises hook and eye fasteners (Velcro®).
 10. The training apparatus of claim 4, wherein the adjustment straps are adjusted by being extended through a metal buckle and then connected to corresponding attachment members via a connecting material. 